Oconee County Sheriff warns public about impersonation scam

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents to be aware of a scam involving individuals calling impersonating an officer.

Deputies recorded four incidents that occurred over the past few days in which a caller claimed to be a deputy from the sheriff’s office and demanded money from the individuals to help cover fines, said Oconee Public Information Officer Jimmy Watt. The impersonators said the fines were because of bogus federal warrants that the caller claimed the individuals had, said Watt, who added that no money was lost.

“Law enforcement officers will not contact anyone stating that arrest warrants will be recalled if someone pays a fine over the phone. In fact, officers do not handle money transactions at all,” Watt said in a release. “All fines are taken care of on the judicial level in courts and are not handled by officers.”

In each case, the caller demanded that money be placed on a prepaid card, said Watt, who added that was a “pretty sure sign of a scam.”

“Do not give out personal or financial information and do not put any money on prepaid cards,” Watt said. “Call your local law enforcement agency to report what has happened and file a case report so an investigation can begin.”

In a separate scam, an individual received a phone call from someone claiming to be a family member who needed money for bond after a bogus arrest and for a public defender, according to Watt. The individual sent around $9,500 via a prepaid card and later learned that the family member was fine and was not in jail, Watt said.